WO2000067609A1

WO2000067609A1 - Applicator tool for hair treating products

Info

Publication number: WO2000067609A1
Application number: PCT/IB2000/000624
Authority: WO
Inventors: Carl Wilfred Benjamin Stephan
Original assignee: Carl Wilfred Benjamin Stephan
Priority date: 1999-05-11
Filing date: 2000-05-10
Publication date: 2000-11-16
Also published as: AU4423500A

Abstract

An applicator tool for hair treating products comprises an applicator blade (12) having a leading edge (16), and a handle (14) extending from the blade, there being openings (18) in the blade, each opening being set back from the leading edge and extending through the thickness of the blade. A novel method of using the applicator tool to carry out a highlighting procedure is also described.

Description

APPLICATOR TOOL FOR HAIR TREATING PRODUCTS

This invention relates to an applicator tool for hair treating products and to a method of applying a hair treating product. Hair treating products such as, for example, tints or colour products, are usually applied to a person's hair by making use of a tint brush. Applicators of this type have bristles. The use of a tint brush is messy and does not allow for the accurate application of hair treating product because hair treating product becomes absorbed in the spaces between the bristles and, as pressure is applied to the brush, gets squeezed from the brush in an uncontrolled manner. When carrying out a highlighting procedure on a person's hair, the treating product should only be applied to separated streaks of hair and not to the rest of the hair. When using a tint brush in such a procedure it is difficult to get the treating product on the separated hair streaks in a region close to the scalp of the person, yet prevent the treating product from coming into contact with the rest of the person's hair in this region. More often than not, when applying pressure to the brush when close to the scalp, at the start of a stroke, treating product gets squeezed out from the leading edge of the brush and results in the formation of a transverse line on the hair, adjacent the re-growth line, where treating product has come into contact with all the hair instead of just the separated streaks. The present invention seeks to overcome this difficulty.

According to the invention there is provided an applicator tool for hair treating products, the tool comprising an applicator blade which has a leading edge and, on each flank of the blade, a lateral edge extending rearwardly from the corresponding end of the leading edge, and a handle extending rearwardly from the blade, there being one or more openings in the blade, the (or each) opening being set back from the leading edge and extending through the thickness of the blade. The blade may be of a resiliency flexible, elastomeπc material. The handle may be of a plastics material which is stiffer than the material of the blade.

On each flank of the blade the distance of those of the openings that are closest to the corresponding lateral edge from that edge may, at least initially, increase with increasing distance from the leading edge. The distance of those of the openings that are closest to the corresponding lateral edge from that edge may initially increase and may then decreases again, with increasing distance from the leading edge. With regard to the width of the blade, if the blade is too narrow it slows down the application procedure. If, on the other hand, the blade is too broad, it becomes difficult to control. A width, at the leading edge of the blade, of between 30mm and 50mm, and preferably about 40mm, has been found to give good results.

The optimum size of the (or each) opening will depend on a number of factors such as the consistency of the hair treating product, and can readily be determined by experimentation. Openings which have a diameter of about 2mm to 3mm have been found to give good results with most hair treating products.

Further according to the invention there is provided a method of applying a hair treating product to a person's hair, which method comprises stroking an applicator tool as aforesaid over the hair, with the product being between one side of the blade and the hair, whereby some of the product passes through the (or each) said opening to the other side of the blade, and from time to time turning the blade over from one side to the other.

Where a highlighting procedure is being carried out, with streaks of the hair being laid on a foil cut while said product is being applied to the hair streaks, the method may include, after said product has been applied to the hair streaks, lifting the rear end of the foil cut by turning the applicator tool over, touching the applicator tool on said rear end with that side of the applicator tool to which some of the product has passed via the (or each) said opening, whereby the foil cut becomes adhered to the applicator tool, and then folding the foil cut over onto itself by means of the applicator tool.

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of an applicator tool in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the applicator tool; and Figures 3 to 5 shows the applicator in use during a highlighting procedure. Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 0 generally indicates an applicator tool for applying a hair treating product to the hair of a person, the tool comprising a blade 1 2 and a handle 1 4.

The blade 1 2 is of a resiliently flexible elastomeric material, and has a smooth, straight leading edge 1 6 and, on each flank of the blade, a lateral edge 1 7 extending rearwardly from the corresponding end of the leading edge. As can be seen in Figure 2, the thickness of the blade tapers down towards the leading edge 1 6. In the blade 1 2, set back from the leading edge 1 6 there are a number of openings 1 8 which extend through the thickness of the blade. The openings 1 8 are arranged in a number of rows, the first row being closest to the leading edge 1 6, and the other rows being spaced progressively further away from the leading edge. There are fewer openings in the second row than in the first row, fewer openings in the third row than in the second row, and so on, until a point is reached where there is only one opening in the relevant row From there on the number of openings in the rows increases again as the distance from the leading edge 1 6 increases. Thus it can be seen that, on each flank of the blade, the distance of those of the openings 1 8 that are closest to the corresponding lateral edge 1 7 from that edge initially increases and then decreases again, with increasing distance from the leading edge 1 6

The handle 14 is of a relatively stiff plastics material The rear end thereof is split so as to form the handle with a pair of spaced rat tails 20. Referring now to Figures 3 to 5, reference numeral 30 indicates the head of a person whose hair is being highlighted. Reference numeral 32 indicates a tray holding a stack of foil cuts 34 that are used in the highlighting procedure. The foil cuts 34 are of the type described US patent 5,849,421 having a series of transversely extending corrugations 36 to facilitate folding

In carrying out the highlighting procedure, the front edge of the tray 32 is pressed against the scalp of the person whose hair is being highlighted. Streaks 38 of hair are separated and laid on the stack of foil cuts 34 in the tray The streaks of hair are gripped by the hairdresser's left hand L Making use of the applicator 1 0, a hair treating product is now applied to the streaks 38 as shown in Figure 3. This is done by stroking the applicator in the direction of arrow A over the streaks 38, there being product on the underside of the applicator blade The smooth and straight leading edge 1 6 of the applicator blade enables accurate control to be exercised over the manner in which the hair treating product is spread or smeared out over the hair streaks on the stack of foil cuts, particularly in the area adjacent the person's scalp. As this is taking place, part of the hair treating product will pass through the openings 1 8 to the upper side of the applicator blade, in a controlled manner. At a distance slightly back from the leading edge 1 6 there are openings throughout essentially the entire width of the blade, enabling the product to pass relatively easily to the other side of the blade. At a greater distance from the leading edge, however, there are fewer openings 1 8 and they are spaced a greater distance from the lateral edges 1 7. This will ensure that the product is pressed down on the hair with a greater force in this region, and that there will be a greater tendency for the product to be squeezed towards the lateral edges 1 7, to ensure a maximum lateral spread of the product in this region. The applicator may be turned over from time to time, from one side to the other, in which event the product that has passed through the openings 1 8 will, after the applicator has been turned over, be applied to the hair streaks 38.

After the product has been applied, the applicator 10 is turned over and touched onto the rear end of the uppermost foil cut, as shown in Figure 4. At this stage the product that has passed through the openings 1 8 will cause the foil cut to adhere to the applicator. This enables the hairdresser quickly and easily to lift the rear end of the foil cut, and fold it over double onto the hair streaks 38 with product applied to them, as illustrated in Figure 5, without requiring the hairdresser's right hand to come into direct contact with the foil cut or the hair treating product on it

Claims

CLAIMS:

1 . An applicator tool for hair treating products, characterized in that it comprises an applicator blade (1 2) which has a leading edge (1 6) and, on each flank of the blade, a lateral edge (1 7) extending rearwardly from the corresponding end of the leading edge, and a handle (14) extending rearwardly from the blade, there being one or more openings (1 8) in the blade, the (or each) opening being set back from the leading edge and extending through the thickness of the blade.

2. An applicator tool as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the blade is of a resiliently flexible, elastomeric material.

3. An applicator tool as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the handle is of a plastics material which is stiffer than the material of the blade.

4. An applicator tool as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that there are a plurality of said openings, and in that, on each flank of the blade, the distance of those of the openings that are closest to the corresponding lateral edge (1 7) from that edge, at least initially, increases with increasing distance from the leading edge (1 6) .

5. An applicator tool as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that there are a plurality of said openings, and in that, on each flank of the blade, the distance of those of the openings that are closest to the corresponding lateral edge (1 7) from that edge initially increases and then decreases again, with increasing distance from the leading edge ( 1 6).

6. An applicator tool as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the blade has a width, at its leading edge, of between 30mm and 50mm

7. An applicator tool as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the blade has a width, at its leading edge, of about 40mm.

8. An applicator tool as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the (or each) said opening has a diameter of between 2mm to 3mm.

9. A method of applying a hair treating product to a person's hair (38), characterized in that it comprises stroking an applicator tool ( 1 0) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims over the hair, with the product being between one side of the blade (1 2) and the hair, whereby some of the product passes through the (or each) said opening ( 1 8) to the other side of the blade, and from time to time turning the blade over from one side to the other.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that streaks of the hair (38) are laid on a foil cut (34) while said product is being applied to the hair streaks, and in that, after said product has been applied to the hair streaks, the rear end of the foil cut is lifted by turning the applicator tool ( 1 0) over, touching the applicator tool on said rear end with that side of the applicator tool to which some of the product has passed via the (or each) said opening, whereby the foil cut becomes adhered to the applicator tool, and then folding the foil cut over onto itself by means of the applicator tool.

1 1 . An applicator tool for hair treating products, substantially as herein described and illustrated.

12. A method of applying a hair treating product to a person's hair, substantially as herein described and illustrated.